//------------------------------//
// Odette's Mysterious Dance 
// Story: Hecate's Orphanage 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Fifty: Odette's Mysterious Dance
~BlackRoseRaven

Cadence really, really did not like Helheim, and unsurprisingly, neither did the Swan.
Two things did amaze her, however: one was that the Swan was apparently so disgusted with the entire situation, it had essentially sealed itself away inside her to sulk. And the other, somehow even more amazing thing, was how sociable and amiable Thorn was with all these horrific monsters of the depths, and how well he played through their political games and social graces.
Cadence grumbled under her breath as she adjusted the ceremonial 'armor' that she was being forced to wear during these horrible little social functions they were both being forced to attend. While her actual armor was beneath the regalia, and thus quite functional, she had a ridiculous layer of much lighter and stranger armor overtop that made it almost impossible to move. This tin suit of armor was a bleached-ivory white, and additionally had long tassels, feathered wings, enormous... she didn't know what the hell they were. They were long strips of cloth that came down from her back, like tails, but because of some charm they had bright runes glowing throughout the fabric and they fluttered constantly in the air, so there was no danger of them being stepped on but plenty of her accidentally turning and smacking someone with them. Which she had already done several times.
She also had a mask she was supposed to wear: she hated it because it made her feel claustrophobic. The Swan hated it because it apparently reminded her of the old days. Cadence thought that was strange, since she thought anything that made the Swan nostalgic should have been setting off all sorts of alarms for her, but apparently this was a very different sort of memory. One that related to a feeling that Cadence had never expected to feel from the Swan, a sensation that made the Swan more of a person to her, for lack of a better word: rebellion.
Apart from feeling out that tiny tidbit of the Swan's personality, however, Cadence really hadn't gained anything from this whole experience. She had learned that Hel was an asshole, though, and how even though Helheim followed a twenty-four hour system, people were expected to work thirty hour days. How people fit thirty hours' of work into twenty or less, Cadence really didn't understand, but she was starting to get a little bit about why Thorn was so anal all the time.
She hated that this was apparently their 'top secret super special awesome mission' from Hel: they were supposed to attend a whole bunch of these little 'pre-parties' and mingle with the demons there and play nice. They were apparently both acting as special 'delegates from Decretum,' representing Clockwork World or some crap about unity and togetherness and alliances., and working some kind of some kind of secret mission at the same time. Or at least, so Hel claimed. 
The ivory mare wasn't stupid: sure, Hel would love a chance to torment them both, and sure, she wouldn't put something like... well, this, past Hel to do just for kicks. But she thought that even Hel wasn't crazy enough to put them through this for no reason at this crucial a time.
No, as little as Cadence liked it, there was probably some weird, stupid reason why Hel was having them run around like this. Every party held an unhealthy dose of intrigue and suspicion, after all: it felt like every pair of eyes that wandered over them was judging them, hunting for signs of vulnerability or weakness.
That was another thing she found strange: Thorn acted as if he was used to being glared at, as if none of the suspicion bothered him. He strode fearlessly around in his fancy Inquisitor's regalia, making conversation with every pair of eyes that turned his way as if he wasn't surrounded by demons who were glowering at him as if they were wishing for his untimely demise.
Thorn almost ignored her while they did their little circles of the massive ballrooms they kept ending up in, but at the same time, all she had to do was stay close to him and look menacing, and she was glad that she didn't have to try and talk or make nice with anyone. Decretum had taught her the value of differences and not to judge people by what they were alone, but all the same, she really wasn't comfortable around all these demons.
At least Thorn seemed to know what he was doing. Yet, all the same, as they strode down a richly-ornamented hallway of a vast and beautiful mansion filled with demons of every shape and size, Cadence couldn't help but mumble: “I really hate this.”
“I do too.” Thorn muttered back to her, and Cadence looked at him with surprise, but the sapphire stallion only gave her the slightest of smiles as he said dryly: “You didn't seriously think that I enjoy any of this, did you?”
“Well, I mean... you seem to fit right in here.” Cadence said before she really thought about what she was saying, and then she gave a lame smile when Thorn tilted his head towards her, cocking an eyebrow. “Uh. Sorry. I just mean... you know what I mean.”
“I do, yes.” Thorn replied with a slight smile of his own, shaking his head briefly before he said softly: “It just... I suppose you could say that it was simple to fall back into old habits. Not to mention the fact I suppose that this is what I've been trained for, most of my life: diplomacy and asset management.”
“It's scary how you think like that still.” Cadence blurted out, again before she could stop herself, but Thorn only smiled wryly, almost as if in agreement, before the ivory mare murmured: “I mean... I just know that there's so much more to you than that, Thorn.”
Thorn shrugged a bit, and then he said softly: “Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not always so sure, Cadence. This has always been my life, and this seems to be what I'm good at. I'm not like my parents. Even on the battlefield, I've realized that... I can't help but plan things out for the long term. I think too much. I waste time debating points when I should be acting.”
“You summoned a giant rail cannon and blew the head off a Terror. Thorn, if it wasn't for you, we would have all been dead.” Cadence said disbelievingly, and when Thorn blinked in surprise, the ivory mare blushed a bit before saying awkwardly: “Sorry, uh... I guess I was listening to your emotions more than your words.”
“I'm always impressed by that. You seem to be able to key in very clearly to the emotions of others. For the most part.” Thorn said mildly, and Cadence frowned at this as they entered a massive hall, which was filled with demons in expensive, exotic outfits.
“What the hell do you mean by that?” she asked, but Thorn only gave her another smile before he gestured forward with his head, and the ivory mare grumbled under her breath even as she squared up her shoulders as they waded once more into the apparently-endless meet-and-greet.
Thorn began to approach a demon, before his eyes suddenly widened as he half-turned, visibly tensing up. And as Cadence turned, she realized that suddenly the whole hall had gone quiet, and she could hear claws and hooves shifting out of the way like a singular tide to try and make way for the entity now striding slowly towards them.
“Thorn Blackfeather. We are delighted to see you.” the monster said, and its tone was loving. Tender, in spite of its huge animal teeth, the greed and possessiveness in its serpent eyes, the way it strutted sinuously to make the knives buried through its back click and clack together with every movement. 
“It is my pleasure to be here, Lady of the Moon.” Thorn replied quietly, bowing his head to the enormous demon, which smiled before it – she – leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. 
The Lady of the Moon: Cadence shivered a little as she surveyed the mighty demoness, licking her lips behind her mask. She knew the stories: this was Hel's invisible left hand, her most-trusted lieutenant, and the only demon who held authority even in the depths of Underdark. 
And here she was, looking down upon Thorn like her favorite subject, gazing at him with such obvious affection and love, that it made the other demons glare at them with fury and with hatred, as if Thorn somehow-
The Lady of the Moon looked up, and Cadence felt a chill run down her spine and the Swan twist inside her in confusion at the familiarity in those snake-like eyes, before the demoness gave a coy smile as she said softly: “Hello, Cadenza Danzsöngr, Swan Maiden. We are pleased to meet you. Take off your mask before us.”
Cadence shivered a little, but then she reached up and nervously removed her mask, looking across at the demon as the Lady of the Moon gazed back at her with such cruelty and glee, she thought.
For a few moments, there was silence, as neither of them moved so much as a muscle, and then Cadence winced a bit when the demoness suddenly grasped her by the face with one cloven, blade-like hoof, forcibly tilting her head back and forth before she said softly: “You are not quite what we expected, Danzsöngr. But we smell Valkyrie on you... has Freya been training you?” She smiled coyly, adding almost mockingly: “Or has she just been playing with you?”
“Queen Freya has been training me.” Cadence said as politely as she could, struggling to maintain eye contact with the creature before she forced herself to smile uncomfortably. “It's an honor to-”
“No it is not.” The demoness smiled again, as if at some private joke, and then she finally released Cadence. The ivory mare didn't even have enough time to blink, however, before she was slapped savagely across the face, her jaw falling open as she mouthed wordlessly for a few moments before the Lady of the Moon said calmly: “You are a disgusting insect, Cadenza Danzsöngr. You are weak, pathetic, and beneath contempt. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I... I'm sorry?” was all that Cadence could manage out, as she stared up in shock at the demoness, a bit of blood running from a thin cut that had been made over her face. She began to look towards Thorn, but then her nose was seized by the demoness, the mare wincing as she was forcefully dragged back to face the Lady of the Moon.
“Do not speak to your superiors with that tone, Swan. And do not use such broken whimpering. Form words with your mouth... even if it is certainly no small feat for an animal like yourself to speak even the simplest phrases.” The Lady of the Moon smiled calmly again, and then she said softly: “You are not even a whore, for your body knows and can offer no pleasures. You are a broken, ugly thing. A doll. A cheap, cracked porcelain knickknack that has been left out in the sun too long, broken and bleached and infested with grime and disease. Gutter-filth.”
Cadence trembled in fury, but she kept her mouth shut, even as her eyes burned holes in the Lady of the Moon. But the demoness only looked back at her, patronizing, mocking, before she said softly: “It's perfectly fine if you don't know what to say. You don't have to say anything. You just have to agree with me that you are nothing more than a useless, meaningless, worthless puppet.”
The ivory mare gritted her teeth, resisting as much as she could even as the Lady of the Moon looked down into her eyes, challenging her, daring her to do something, to try and stand up for herself, to open her big fat stupid mouth and-
“And here Shining Armor feared that he was the one using you.” the Lady of the Moon said pleasantly, and Cadence stiffened up before the demoness continued silkily: “But I suppose no matter how much you pumped him, that's never been quite as much as you've abused your father, is it?”
Cadence and the Swan both lashed up as one, swinging a hoof out and smashing the Lady of the Moon across the face with so much force that the ivory mare stumbled through the blow. The demoness was knocked skidding backwards from the force as her cheekbone shattered and blood exploded from her muzzle, barely catching herself before she dropped her head forwards in the shocked silence that followed.
The Lady of the Moon slowly rose her head, and her bleeding lips twisted into a soft smile before she said almost lovingly: “Good.”
“Lady of the Moon, please excuse Cadence, she-” But Thorn was cut off by the demoness simply raising a hoof, the creature straightening calmly in front of Cadence as she looked down at her with that same strange, cryptic smile.
“Do not speak further, Thorn Blackfeather. Or, Grand Inquisitor or not, I will have to have you punished.” the Lady of the Moon said softly, and Thorn grimaced a bit as he looked apologetically at Cadence.
But Cadence was only trembling with not just anger, but self-loathing. She knew the demoness had been taunting her from the start and she had just walked right into doing what the Lady of the Moon wanted. What perhaps Hel wanted, as the Lady of the Moon slowly circled her. And, when Cadence risked a look up, she saw that what had once been an ugly wound had already faded into nothing more than a small bruise, which even before her eyes, was still getting smaller yet. She had accomplished nothing. 
The Lady of the Moon came to a stop in front of her, studying her for a few more moments before she said pleasantly: “Tormentas. See Cadenza Danzsöngr out.”
“Of course.” A silver-armored mare seemed to simply appear out of nowhere, striding calmly past the Lady of the Moon. Her heavy plate mail covered her from head to hoof completely, her emerald eyes barely visible behind the narrow grille in the helm on her head, which was topped with an elegant crown of gold.
Cadence allowed the mare to turn her around and guide her through the crowd, many of whom were whispering and staring. She wished she had her mask so she could cover up the humiliation in her cheeks, but she had dropped it; ridiculously, she wondered if she was going to be punished for that, too. And even more ridiculously, she felt strangely like she deserved it, for damaging the gifts of the mistress.
Cadence felt an uneasy twitch inside herself at this as she blinked, but she didn't have time to process the thought as she was guided out of the ballroom, then straight across the corridor to another door. Tormentas opened this with only the slightest gesture of her head, and Cadence thought it was probably better just to follow along in silence for now as they headed into the room.
The ivory mare frowned a bit in surprise as she looked around, realizing they had stepped into what looked almost like a small library. She glanced back and forth at the shelves lining the walls, before a surprisingly-gentle voice invited: “Please come in. Sit down.”
The ivory mare looked towards the center of the room, where the armored mare was now calmly seated, smiling almost pleasantly over at Cadence. The Swan Maiden shifted hesitantly, but Tormentas simply laughed softly before she said gently: “Please. Do not fear. You are far outside of our jurisdiction, Swan Maiden. And my first task is only to extend the Lady of the Moon's apologies.”
“I... what's going on?” asked the mare uncertainly, as she nervously approached the... well, she assumed she was some sort of Inquisitor or elite guard. “But she... I thought she was testing me.”
“She was, of course. Everything is a test.” The armored mare chuckled, and then she reached up and grasped her helm before calmly pulling it off.
Cadence's eyes widened in disbelief, and Tormentas grinned slightly at her, with unblemished, beautiful sapphire features surrounded by ephemeral, flowing locks that were as gorgeous as the night sky. “Wait, you're... another Luna?”
“Very good eyes. Yes, I am 'another' Luna; it sounds like you've met more than your fair share of them.” Tormentas' eyes twinkled with mischief as she shook herself out briefly, the mare putting her silver helm gently aside before she smiled slightly as she stroked gently along the crown that adorned it. “I have met quite a few myself, you know... as a matter of fact, I was Chief Inquisitor for your friend, Valkyrie Brynhild.”
Cadence's gaze immediately sharpened as she turned towards the mare, and Tormentas smiled softly as she looked silently down at her silver helm, studying her distorted reflection in the dome quietly. “It's funny. She suspected a thousand different demons, but she never suspected that even if I was a shapeshifter... I always came to her in what I consider my truest, most undiluted form. She never realized that the mare who would be able to torture her most, was a mare who had gone through many very similar trials and tribulations...”
Tormentas chuckled softly, before her eyes flicked towards Cadence, and she reached out and patted the empty seat beside her, saying softly: “Come here. Sit down with me. I won't bite.”
The ivory mare hesitated for only a moment longer before she approached. She began to walk around the table, but Tormentas smiled at her teasingly, asking: “Are you really that afraid of me, Cadence? No, come, sit here.”
Cadence shifted nervously on her hooves, but then she nodded awkwardly before approaching the seat and nervously sitting herself down. There was silence for a few moments as Cadence only stared at Tormentas, but Tormentas only smiled again. “Tell me what you thought of the Valkyrie. I'm a very big fan, even if I only got to know... certain parts of her.”
“How did you end up in Hell?” Cadence blurted, and Tormentas looked surprised as Cadence gave a lame grin, shrinking her head a bit as she realized that was probably an incredibly rude question, on top of the fact that she was running over the mare's own question. “Uh. Sorry. I mean, uh... I didn't... really get to know her...”
Tormentas smiled in amusement, and then she shook her head before looking down at one over her hooves, saying softly: “I was a warrior. I was never a Princess, like many of the other Lunas... I was savage, barbarian. But I did my best to protect my people, no matter what the cost...” Tormentas' eyes flicked up, meeting the Swan's for a moment, and Cadence shivered at the reflection of herself she saw in that calm gaze. “But you know how badly that can go wrong, I'm sure.”
“Yes... yes, I do.” Cadence murmured, lowering her head a little. She bit her lip as the Swan twisted inside of her, and then she looked away as she continued: “I uh... most of my interactions with her were pretty hostile. She liked to push boundaries and the Swan... hates the Valkyrie. Hates the Night Maiden.”
Tormentas chuckled softly as she nodded slowly, replying gently: “Yes, that is a good way to describe her. Mischievous. Never satiated. Troublesome. But she is very sly, Swan. Don't ever underestimate her, or what she's capable of... or what she's willing to do in order to protect the people she cares about.”
Cadence nodded slowly, even as she felt an odd shiver run down her spine, before Tormentas straightened up and then said kindly: “I'm afraid we have to get down to business now, Cadence. As you must be aware of by now, nothing is ever peaceful in Helheim, and rumors of Thokk and her power have caused some of our brethren to forget their place.
“You and Prince Thorn have been recruited to sniff out these enemies of Queen Hel. To this end, the Lady of the Moon has given you reason enough to want revenge, and we have already sown the rumor that you are a puppet of Thokk's. Sorry about that, dear.” Tormentas added politely, smiling kindly at Cadence, as Cadence gave the slightest grimace. “But you know, sometimes these unpleasant things must be done.”
Cadence mumbled under her breath, and then she said: “I thought Hel knew basically... everything, though. That nothing was beyond her sight.”
“Hel's sight can be blocked by certain runes and other means. She knows when demons are blocking her gaze, but not at all what they are saying or doing within these 'bubbles' they create.” Tormentas smiled slightly. “The punishment for trying to avoid Hel's gaze is death, if our Queen is feeling merciful. But Hel wants to know what they were saying, and she does not want to delegate the resources to torturing them when more might be obtained by a game of subterfuge. That, and Hel has always loved her games.”
The ivory mare scowled a little at this, but then she nodded slowly before muttering: “I can't believe I'm going to agree to this... but, well, I guess I don't have a whole lot of choice anyway, really, do I?”
Tormentas smiled again and shrugged before she replied evenly: “Oh, we always have a choice, Cadence. What makes us think there's 'no other choice' is simply that we are afraid of what our other choices mean.”
Cadence grumbled a bit at this, but then she nodded grudgingly before Tormentas said softly: “But, Queen Hel does recognize that, again, you are outside of our jurisdiction, and she has no real authority to command you to do anything. So I've been told to offer you a trade.”
Cadence tilted her head, and Tormentas smiled before she said: “I have been authorized to train you. The faster you accomplish this task for us – and it will not take you long, don't worry, for the demons who wish to undermine Hel will want to work quickly – the more training I can give you, Cadenza Danzsöngr.”
The ivory mare felt the Swan shift inside of her in disgust and almost anger, but she quelled it quickly, because she had to admit she was curious. “What could I learn from you?”
“More than you think, and much more than your silent partner thinks.” Tormentas winked at her, before she added enticingly: “And I stripped the Valkyrie's mind and memories many times, you know. Perhaps it's not very ladylike of me to offer you this, but I can teach you about her as well.”
That made the Swan shift again, with grudging interest in spite of the utter disgust it still felt at 'learning' from a demonspawn, especially one that served Queen Hel. Cadence, however, felt a weird sort of guilt inside of her, wrestling with the instincts of the Swan before she finally shifted awkwardly and muttered: “I... let's just get this over with for now, and then we'll see about... what you might be able to teach me.”
Tormentas nodded, and then she winked again before flicking her hoof, Cadence's mask appearing in it in a puff of smoke before the Inquisitor said pleasantly: “I have inscribed a scrying rune in your mask that will allow me to hear everything that happens. Find Thorn Blackfeather. He will guide you to the demons you are to hunt.”
“How much does Thorn know?” Cadence asked, and before she could stop herself, she added: “And why was the Lady of the Moon so interested in him?”
“I'm not allowed to talk about that, Cadenza. But if you finish this mission for us, I'll let you in on that little secret as well.” Tormentas replied kindly, and then she gently slipped the mask onto Cadence's face, the ivory mare grimacing but allowing it as the Inquisitor instructed: “Return to the ballroom and find Thorn Blackfeather. When the demons try and pull you aside, allow them to separate you from him and guide you away. Play along, and trust in us to intervene should things get... difficult.”
“I am not afraid of lowlings.” the Swan said coldly from Cadence's jaws, and the ivory mare winced before her mouth snapped shut.
But Tormentas only smiled once more before she replied kindly: “A good attitude to have. But be careful: you don't want to end up getting yourself in trouble. You're a bird in a den of snakes.”
Cadence shifted uncomfortably, and then she nodded once, and Tormentas nodded in return before gently patting her on the shoulder. “Go on now. You're ready for this, though, that I certainly have faith in. But if you'll take one little bit of advice, dear... please don't let that nasty part of you take over. And I'm not talking about the Swan.”
Cadence looked awkwardly away, and Tormentas gazed at her almost tenderly before she said softly: “Brynhild had a similar problem, you know. She divided everything not into good and evil, but into the Clean, and the Unwashed. But blind hatred is not an asset. It leads us to make mistakes. It leads us to focus too much on how they are different... making us vulnerable to how we are very much the same.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then Cadence nodded once before she slipped out of her seat, muttering: “I'll uh... try and keep that in mind.”
“Don't worry, my dear. It might not make sense now, but it will in the future.” Tormentas encouraged, then she reached out and picked up her own helm. But she only held it close to her breast as she said softly: “I'll give you a few minutes' head start. Be swift.”
Cadence nodded, then turned away and headed for the door without another word, although she couldn't help but toss a nervous look back over her shoulder at the mare before she pushed out into the hallway.
The doors to the little library closed behind her as Cadence steeled herself, facing the open ballroom as she grimaced at the chatter from the crowd of demons beyond over the faint hum of music that was now playing in the background.
Cadence strode into the room, looking back and forth for Thorn. But there were so many demons packed into this massive hall that she couldn't see him through the crowd, and the air was so rife with energy that there was no chance of her tracking him by magic, either. All she could do was shoulder her way uncomfortably through the demons, swearing under her breath to herself: at least when she was with Thorn, the demons always gave him a few feet of space. But they apparently didn't care about her status, or thought it was amusing to accidentally 'jostle' her, since they had all seen the Lady of the Moon send her off for punishment.
She grumbled under her breath as a demon in armor attempted to shoulder her, and she couldn't help but duck slightly before bodychecking him and knocking him sprawling. The mare didn't even bother to look back as she continued to wade through the crowd, grumbling under her breath until she felt a hoof gently tap her on the shoulder.
The mare looked moodily to the side to find a surprisingly-normal looking stallion smiling at her: the only thing that marked him as a demon were the horns that were sticking up out of his head, and the unnatural way his eyes shifted through a kaleidoscope of colors. “If you're looking for the Grand Inquisitor, he's in one of the back rooms... but oh, pardon my manners. I am a Duke of the Circle of Pride, my name is Brave Cavalier.”
Cadence only looked at the stallion blankly for a few moments, her eyes roving up and down the demon: he looked like an earth pony, with a lustrous, jade-green coat and a glittering gold mane. Extremely handsome, dressed in a modest half-suit... and creepy as hell, somehow. This guy gives me an awful feeling. 
Cavalier smiled at her winningly, bowing his head forwards with a pretentious, false humbleness as he said kindly: “Now, don't worry, I'm not like these other people, you can trust me. Really, I'm very impressed by the fact that you went and did something I think all of us here have wanted to at some point... but oh, I shouldn't forget myself or where I am. Come with me, I'll bring you to Thorn Blackfeather.”
Cadence couldn't help but reflect that he certainly was anxious, even as she followed obligingly enough. Still, it would have been nice to get a chance to talk to Thorn before she was dragged off: she would feel less like she could possibly disappear with no one ever knowing what had happened to her.
They made their way through the crowd, and Cadence noted that Cavalier drew a lot of unpleasant looks from many of the demons they passed. That was both a promising and worrying sign, she thought, as they made their way to a door at the side of the room that was flanked by two enormous, armored demons.
Cavalier didn't so much as look at them as he passed, although Cadence couldn't help but glance up uneasily: judging from their armor and weapons, they were all business, although the way they gazed so stonily ahead without so much as  twitch made the mare wonder if they were brainwashed...
The Swan twisted inside of her almost in frustration, and Cadence quickly turned her attention back ahead as she walked into a small, private room of some sort. The ivory mare frowned under her mask as her eyes flicked back and forth: she noted immediately that Thorn wasn't present, but instead, there were three other demons sitting around a table, playing poker – or its demonic equivalent – over piles of gold and gemstones.
Cadence didn't like it: everything here was off. Cavalier, the demons, hell, the entire room and its atmosphere: it was all an ugly pink, with huge curtains blocking ornamented archways and a soft rug underhoof. It felt less like some den of evil and more like they were in some bad strip joint. “Where's Thorn?”
“Now, now, dear. Don't be silly.” Cavalier said kindly, and then he winked at her as the door slammed shut and runes pulsating with vile magic thrummed to life over it, making Cadence grit her teeth before Cavalier threw a companionable foreleg around her shoulders. “We're all friends here! He'll be right along, we just wanted to talk to you in private for a moment, that's all.”
The demon almost dragged her towards the table, and it took all of Cadence's willpower not to throw his limb off and then throw him into the furniture. She let herself be pushed into a chair, but had to admit she was extremely relieved when the demon drew off to another seat, as one of the creatures at the table growled: “Let's make this quick. I'm on a roll.”
Cavalier chuckled, then he said kindly: “Just ignore that, he's just anxious. We're all very anxious, you see, because we've all been... unfairly, unjustly dragged aside by the Lady of the Moon ourselves at some point. She is cruel, isn't she?”
“Get to the point.” Cadence said moodily, deciding it was probably better not to play nice. Cavalier looked stunned for a moment, but it got a chuckle from one of the other demons.
“I... yes, well. I just thought that you would like to know you're in the company of friends here. That we all are after the same thing.” Cavalier said quickly: a little too quickly, a little too friendly, Cadence thought, as the Swan twisted slowly inside of her. 
The demon continued to talk, rambling and reassuring, but Cadence felt the strangest of sensations spilling through her: it wasn't the Swan rising up or taking over, but more of a feeling like the Swan's emotions and instincts were mixing with her own, like her thoughts were somehow trying to entwine and guide Cadence's, for lack of a better word.
Cadence closed her eyes beneath her mask, breathing slowly in and out before she opened them and looked directly at Cavalier. And it was like she was both seeing him and seeing him, reading beneath the flimsy costume of his physical form: the body the demon chose to appear in, after all, was nothing but a thin veneer to cover up his true shape.
She could feel his emotions, too: his greasy smile couldn't hide that malice he reeked of, or that childish, spiteful sense of savage entitlement. He was willing to do anything, to make any sacrifice, in order to get his way: there was no delusion of grandeur, no zealous belief, nothing more complicated to him than that: he selfishly wanted everything to go his way, and was willing to go to any lengths to ensure that it did.
And that wasn't all she sensed, between her own thoughts and the Swan: she was about to be betrayed. This was all distraction.
Her eyes flicked sharply towards the trio of creatures playing cards: not demons, who were sin and passion and emotion made sentient and alive, but devils, which were diabolic beings of order, law, and control. They weren't in the slightest interested in anything that Cavalier had to say, but they were under his orders, all the same, she realized: they hated him, but they deferred to him. He had something that they cared about, whether it was something physical, or some connection...
Cadence Danzsöngr tilted her head slightly towards Cavalier, who was still blathering on, and she smiled thinly under her mask before asking: “Where's Thokk?”
Dead silence fell, and the Swan Maiden glanced down at her hoof, her mind calm and her body strangely cold as she said softly: “I am not as foolish as you seem to think I am. Where is Thokk?”
Cavalier glared at her, ugliness seeping through his handsome facade as he growled: “Well then. If you're so bloody smart, I bet you've already figured out that we know all about the rumors Hel and her dregs have been spreading, and that they're all lies. Just like we know about that rune you have inscribed in your mask, girl, and we've already made sure that the Inquisitors can't hear or see a thing.”
Cadence grimaced inwardly, but the Swan refused to lose confidence, and it bolstered her: furthermore, with their consciousness mixed together as it had, she wasn't even able to flinch: instead, her surprise allowed the Swan to take more control of her body, Danzsöngr looking straight at Cavalier and saying softly: “I am not impressed, and you still have not answered my question. Where is Thokk?”
“Oh, we're going to deliver you to her, all right. Don't you worry about that.” growled the demon, and he gestured sharply with his head at the devils, ordering: “Grab her. Don't kill her yet.”
The three devils shifted moodily in their seats, but then almost dragged themselves away from the table, one of them looking yearningly at the cards in his claw before he set them down. Cadence Danzsöngr only smiled thinly, however, her eyes flicking over the trio: she didn't entirely know how she knew what they were, and yet... “Preceptors. You do not want to do this.”
The trio of devils looked at her with some surprise, and there was silence for a few moments before Cavalier snorted and said disgustedly: “Oh so what, she knows what you are. I know what you are, too, and more importantly, I know what you want for payment, so either get her or-”
“Weak dogs bark loudest.” the Swan said calmly, and Cavalier glared at her furiously, but the Swan only smiled derisively back beneath her mask before Danzsöngr said softly: “Then prove to me that you are not weak, Cavalier, and come out from hiding behind your Preceptors.” 
The demon opened his mouth, and then he closed it slowly as he leaned back in his seat, giving a cold, vindictive smile as he said softly: “Oh. You are good indeed, Swan. But I'm better. You see, I know precisely what you're up to: trying to make me make a silly mistake. But I'm afraid that no matter how hard you try, I will not be swayed by your wiles, Swan.”
Cavalier smiled almost primly, and then he flicked a hoof toward the mare as he said lazily: “Preceptors, this dog is done 'barking.' Take her.”
Cadence Danzsöngr's eyes flicked towards the devils: they had spread themselves out in a triangular formation, one on the other side of the table, the other two creatures on either side of her, just out of reach. She reflected calmly on how they were all so very similar: from their dog-like, sharp faces to their beady little eyes and their simple robes. Cadence reviled the lack of distinction, but Danzsöngr was appreciative of their conformity, their sameness: she thought the discipline of devils was their most respectable quality, but their ability to throw their own selfish desires aside and instead act as one for the greater cause was a close second.
She looked at the devil to her right: he immediately stopped moving, holding her gaze with his own, and yet his eyes told her that the other devils were using what they thought was an opportunity to prepare their magic. She could feel it in her blood and her bones, old magic that they harnessed clunkily, clearly unfamiliar with the rituals and the focus necessary to make it effective... “Thokk may have given you gifts... but you should question their value.”
The Swan smiled beneath her mask as she shifted ever so slightly in her seat, tensing her body; a moment later, she was on top of one of the devils, plunging her hoof down into his face as it burst into ivory flame. The Preceptor didn't even have the time to cry out before its skull was crushed beneath the stomp, helpless to defend itself against either brute force or the holy magic.
Danzsöngr spun herself gracefully around, her wings glowing bright white before she flapped them once: with a powerful boom of magic, blade-like feathers tore free from her appendages, streaking around Cavalier as he yelped and hid behind his forelegs before the white daggers slammed into the devil on the other side of the table, ripping its frail body apart. It fell with a single gurgle in a bloody, broken heap, as the last devil stumbled backwards before the Preceptor turned to try and run away-
Cadence felt the hunting instinct flare inside her as clearly as Danzsöngr did, and the Swan Maiden flung herself across the room, tackling the devil and twining her forelimbs around its throat before she briskly snapped its neck. It didn't die immediately, but instead shivered and choked helplessly in her forelegs, eyes blinking stupidly as the Swan gazed at it callously-
The Swan Maiden spun around, shielding herself with the paralyzed devil on instinct, huge black tendrils punching through the body of the devil as it shuddered uselessly before the inky tentacles lashed to either side, tearing it apart. Its gore dissolved even before striking the ground as the tentacles retreated quickly into the sleeve of Cavalier's suit, transforming back into his foreleg as he glared at the Swan Maiden before saying disgustedly: “It is true, isn't it? If you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself.”
Cadence gritted her teeth as she felt some of the Swan's psyche retreating, as if Danzsöngr had started to lose interest. As she felt her awareness returning from the strange melding, she felt a shiver run down her spine, but she forced away the loathing and the fear and everything else as she snapped: “Either put up or shut up, asshole.”
Cavalier blinked and mouthed wordlessly for a moment, and then he snarled as he leaned forwards, his features rippling strangely as he shouted: “You will not speak to me that way, you lowly whore of Heaven!”
“Believe me. I don't have a lot to do with Heaven.” Cadence growled in reply as she readied herself, even as she shivered in disgust at the way Cavalier's body seemed to be losing its cohesion, strange ripples passing through his clothing as his face started to literally split apart.
Cavalier laughed loudly at this, his jaws falling open as slithering tendrils stretched out of his gaping maw, his eyes blazing as he rasped as his whole body began to twist apart into oily black tentacles: “That's too bad, little bird... it means there's nowhere for you to run!”
“Good thing I'm not big on running.” Cadence retorted as the demon in front of her increased in both size and monstrosity, becoming what seemed like nothing more than a writhing mass of black, fleshy tendrils: except, she realized, some of those tentacles had crimson eyes, and in the middle of the mass, there was some hideous thing at its core...
Cadence narrowed her eyes as Cavalier laughed: no longer in one voice, but in dozens of different tones, before he said in a multitude of echoes: “You have no idea what you're dealing with, do you? Gaze upon me, mortal, and despair! For I am that which crows at midnight, I am darkness, suffering, and pain, I am-”
Cadence charged her horn with holy magic before snapping it forward, sending a white fireball rocketing into the mass of black tentacles, and the demon howled in agony as it was blasted backwards into the table, sending cards and coins flying in all directions as the ivory mare shouted: “Can we please just skip the one-liners and fight?”
The demon roared at her with the fury of a thousand voices, then leapt forwards, becoming a tide of serpentine tentacles that lashed in towards her from all sides. But the ivory mare didn't panic, instead glaring at the mass of demon rushing towards her before she leapt sharply upwards, flapping her wings hard to launch herself through a hole in the wave of tentacles that appeared when the monstrosity attempted to crash down on her.
She spun around as the demonic creature twisted on itself, rolling its tendrils and tentacles around to lash at Cadence again, but she only hovered in position near the roof as her eyes flicked quickly back and forth: there wasn't a whole lot of room to maneuver here, but the frenzied mass of tentacles beneath her didn't seem to be quite as agile as it thought it was.
Her eyes flicked quickly back and forth over the monster beneath her as it roiled like a sea of worms, before vomiting a stream of oily tentacles towards her. Cadence felt not just her own instincts, but the Swan's take over, and she dove forwards instead of attempting to dodge, her hooves bursting into white flames as she shoved them ahead of herself and sliced through the surge of tentacles like a blade.
The demon squealed in a dozen voices before Cadence tore to either side, ripping a hole in the mass of tentacles to reveal the skeletal demon lodged within the squirming mass. It stared up at her with horror, a mess of blood-stained bone with oozing, black eyes, dark strings of flesh connecting it to the network of tentacles that writhed and twisted around it vociferously.
“Pride is like the worm: it is the lowest thing in the soil, but thinks itself a king.” the Swan said coldly, but it was Cadence who was in control as she began to brutally pummel the demon's skull, the monster howling as its tentacles writhed uselessly back and forth around it. 
Black tendrils suddenly managed to twist back on themselves, seizing Cadence around the body and flinging her savagely to the side. She crashed into the wall back-first, gasping as she fell to her hooves before she looked up with a snarl as the beast's oily tendrils lashed down towards her. 
Cadence dodged sharply to the side, narrowly avoiding being caught by a strike from the tentacles, even as she felt a strange burning spreading over her body from the sludge that had been splattered over her on contact with the oily tendrils. It burned, and it made her muscles twitch, but it wasn't enough to let the demon catch her as she flung herself into the air, narrowly dodging a savage swipe from the demon.
She couldn't fly, though: her wings refused to even spread, but Cadence only charged her horn with magic before she slashed downwards as she dropped, spearing into the surging tentacles when they tried to rush towards her. The demon howled in dozens of voices as it flinched backwards, and Cadence's eyes glowed as she felt energy surge suddenly through her as the Swan took over, her whole body glowing white before she leapt forwards, becoming a streak of ivory wrath that punched a hole straight through the mass of black ooze.
The demon screamed as chunks of tentacle collapsed in all directions around it, black blood bursting from its writhing body as it jerked back and forth as the skeletal monster that controlled the mass was again left naked and vulnerable. Cadence flexed as she began to turn, but this time, the Swan took over, a voice in her mind saying coldly: Watch closely.
Cadence felt herself shoved down, but she was too stunned to try and fight against Danzsöngr as she spun around, lashing her horn sharply out to send a blade of white light streaking through the air to slice into the demon. But then Cadence felt a shift in the magic, a sudden second burst of power and focus, and her eyes widened slightly as the blade of holy magic split apart into streaks of energy that twisted around and slammed into the demon's back.
It howled in misery as it burst into holy flames, panicking as it jerked itself uselessly back and forth as the holy fire ravaged its body. Its tentacles snapped wildly to and fro, but they were already starting to lose their color, rapidly dissolving into rotten gray dust.
Eventually, all that was left was a hollow skeleton, and Cadence shivered a little as she felt her legs almost buckle under her, closing her eyes tightly as she felt the Swan retreat as her horn sparked painfully. She blinked blearily as she looked at the petrified skeleton, and then she shivered once before she reached up and rubbed slowly at her head, mumbling: “Nice trick. But maybe you could have done that first.”
The Swan didn't reply, and Cadence frowned uneasily to herself as she shifted a bit, feeling a sudden silence inside of herself. The Swan had exhausted herself, too: but that wasn't much of a surprise, thinking about it. After all, that hadn't been unicorn magic that had been focused through her, but old magic. Powerful magic, that, like the Swan, her body couldn't entirely handle...
She looked down at one of her gold-edged hooves, shivering a little as she wondered silently what she was becoming, how much of her was really left, and how much had been consumed by the Swan. Consumed or just... dissolved? The Swan isn't me. The Swan has no interest in becoming like me. What am I, really?
“Heavy thoughts, dear? Old magic will do that to you.” teased a voice, and Cadence stiffened before looking coldly up to see Thokk standing nearby, her fingertips pressed together in front of her, the stone eyes of her mask locked on Cadence. They surveyed each other in silence for a few moments, and then Thokk suddenly shrugged her shoulders and flung her hands out to either side, saying cheerfully: “Well, it'll all be over soon, Danzsöngr! Oh, Hel thought she was so smart trying to hide you out down here while all your friends are getting massacred in Slaughterhouse Five, but this works just perfectly fine. Either way, you're isolated, you're alone. And I'll get you yet, Dorothy.” 
Thokk suddenly leaned forwards, her voice dropping almost an octave as she said coldly: “Don't forget that I don't need you alive, Swan Maiden. Dead is perfectly fine. And whether you like it or not, I am going to get what I want.”
“You're not here. You're not physical. You can't hurt me.” Cadence said quietly, as she slowly straightened: she didn't know how she knew that, but somehow, she did.
Thokk seemed surprised by it, but after a moment, the witch laughed loudly before she leaned backwards, spreading her arms as she said pleasantly: “You're right. I can't do a thing to you. That's why I told these dumb demons to get you. Gosh, now I'm just helpless, nothing's gone to plan, and I can't do anything anymore to capture you, little pocket monster.”
The witch paused, cocked her head to the side, then snapped her fingers as she said brightly: “Oh, wait a minute, what about him?”
Cadence's eyes widened before a massive force slammed into her side, knocking her flying across the room before she felt icy claws rip through her armor and flesh as something tackled her to the ground, making her scream in agony. She kicked savagely at whatever had grabbed her, but it had already quickly drawn back, laughing cruelly before the hideous beast appeared.
Cadence's eyes widened in horror at the crow-faced monster, ashes and shadows floating around it as it hissed: “It will be a pleasure to punish you, low-caste scum.”
“You are not Heimdall, yet you reek of his failures.” the Swan retorted, glaring at the monster as it flexed its claws slowly. It was bipedal, yet no less a beast for it: the creature glared at her with hatred in its sockets as it arched its back like a cat, eager to pounce.
“I am Rig. And it is Heimdall who is the failure, who is weakness! My twin brother is just like you, a-”
“Enough, Rig.” Thokk said with clear exasperation, reaching up and covering her ears with a groan, and Rig flinched and bowed his head fearfully towards the witch before Thokk turned pointedly towards the Swan, exclaiming: “Every five minutes with these guys! My brother this, my brother that, they just don't know the meaning of family! I do, though, you know, my brother and I...”
Thokk paused, then laughed loudly, the witch shrugging widely as she dropped her hands from her ears. “Well, we'll have plenty of time to regale each other with all our stories once you've finally come around to our side of the fence. Let's not waste time, huh?”
Cadence gritted her teeth, and she felt the Swan twisting in fury inside of her before Danzsöngr growled through her mouth: “We respect Heimdall. But we do not respect this 'Rig.' We will tear him apart.”
“Yeah, about that. Swan, you've been a bad girl. Go to sleep.” Thokk ordered, and Cadence's eyes widened before she gasped and slumped, her body quaking as the Swan simply collapsed inside of her. “You never really learn, do you?”
Cadence bared her teeth at Thokk, but Thokk only grinned widely back at her before the witch spread her arms and simply flickered out of reality, even as her voice stated lazily: “Rig, do your thing, will you? I have a bomb to detonate.”
“Yes, your majesty. It will be my pleasure.” hissed Rig, and then he leapt towards Cadence before the ivory mare could regain her senses, knocking her backwards with a howl of pain as his claws tore across her face.
She hit the ground, then gasped as Rig kicked her viciously in the stomach, sending her flying and crashing through the petrified remains of the demon in the middle of the room. She coughed violently as she hit the ground, groaning and shivering as Rig slowly strode towards her, crunching ashes and broken furniture underfoot as he said mockingly: “Look at you, little minion. Helpless, useless. You Swans were nothing but mindless killers, lower than the servant caste... dogs. And a tik that will not listen to the master needs to be put down.”
Cadence gritted her teeth: the agony in her body was horrible, but it was nowhere near as debilitating as the weight of the unconscious Swan. It felt so heavy, made it impossible for her to do more than roll herself onto her stomach as she thought desperately: Wake up, wake up, just wake up, you know that Thokk is the enemy, Thokk is-
A foot slammed into her face, knocking her back down on her side as she gasped before Rig stomped on her throat, choking her as he looked down at her with cruel contempt. “Look, trapped where you belong, Swan. Beneath my foot, your proper place.”
Cadence gritted her teeth before she clenched her eyes shut, forcing herself to focus inward as Rig bore slowly down on her neck, her body quaking with pain, her body trembling as Rig flexed his claws as his gaze burned brighter in his sockets with visible, palpable delight. “Yes. Struggle, but it's useless, isn't it? You're helpless. You're weak. And the best part, Swan, is that I don't have to carry you in to Thokk alive.”
Rig twisted his heel slowly, and Cadence gargled, her eyes opening, her body convulsing as she felt her larynx being crushed, becoming lightheaded as she grabbed helplessly at his ankle. “How do you want to die, Swan? Quick and easy? Or slow, and excruciatingly painfully? I think you deserve the latter. I am enjoying this and I will take my time making you die, watching you suffer.”
Cadence trembled under Rig's heel, glaring up at him even as tears formed in her eyes, as Rig leaned slowly down, crossing his arms over his knee to add more pressure, more pain to the ivory mare as she convulsed uselessly under his boot. “Yes. Be defiant. But you're helpless. You're worthless.” Rig laughed mockingly, and then he spat on her face, Cadence trembling in fury through the painful daze taking over her mind as he mocked: “Maybe I won't kill you. You're such a fun plaything.”
Rig teasingly lifted his foot, and Cadence began to inhale before she instead gasped when Rig slammed his foot into her stomach. She dry-heaved out all her breath in a great whoosh, then clutched at herself, her body quaking, her legs kicking and bucking at the air as she rolled back and forth, unable to get any sense, so confused and lightheaded that his mockery and threats became nothing more than distorted rambling to her ears.
Cadence felt the Swan shift inside of her, but it was too little, too late, as the monster kicked her again, knocking her half-rolling over onto her other side. Her vision was blurry, her mind filled with static and pain as her limbs uselessly spasmed: she could barely move. She couldn't breathe. The world was going gray and black and empty, and when Rig kicked her savagely again, she barely felt it as her jaws fell open, drool spilling from her maw as her eyes stared blindly, desperately into nothing.
Cadence didn't feel when Rig kicked her again, when her ribs cracked, when her body started to die. Instead, she felt a sudden warmth rise up inside her. She felt something wrap around her, embrace her, pull her into itself. She felt a merging, and with it, a strange sense of sadness and... was that compassion? Or even just understanding?
The mare gurgled, and as it always was, physical death was unpleasant: she drooled, she bled, her body spasmed and lost all control of itself. There was no dignity, no grace, no honor, as a coward kicked her and stomped on her dying body like a child punishing a broken toy.
But for the first time, Cadence felt like her death wasn't cold or hopeless or miserable. For the first time, she felt the Swan, and the Swan felt her, and acknowledged her, even as Cadence sank into the endless depths.
Cadence died, and the Swan awoke.